The smile on Naruto's face hadn't lasted three seconds before he realized he'd said the wrong thing.
His mind went boom. It felt like the sky was about to fall.
This was his very first friend.
Had he messed it up again?
While his thoughts were still a tangled mess, Sasuke's voice drifted into his ears.
"Idiot?"
Idiot?
He wasn't an idiot!
He was Naruto Uzumaki!
The Naruto who would become Hokage someday!
"You're the idiot!"
Naruto shouted back.
"You're an idiot! A moron!"
Sasuke wasn't intimidated in the slightest.
"Idiot!"
"Moron!"
As the two of them fell into an endless loop of insults, Uchiha Itachi cut in.
"Sasuke, that's very rude."
His little brother had always been so well-behaved. Why had he suddenly turned out like this?
He glanced at Gojo Satoru and laid the blame squarely on him.
*???*
Caught by Itachi's icy gaze, Gojo Satoru felt thoroughly wronged.
This time, it really had nothing to do with him.
Maybe this was just the bond between those two boys.
Hearing his big brother speak, Sasuke shut his mouth and hung his head.
Damn it!
My big brother saw everything.
It's all that guy's fault. That Naruto.
"Sorry," he muttered.
Sure, calling someone an idiot was wrong, but he called me short first.
Receiving an apology instead left Naruto a little at a loss.
"Um... I was wrong too."
He scratched his blond hair and flashed a grin, though envy lurked in his eyes.
They were both Uchiha. They must be brothers.
That must be nice.
That jerk Sasuke was really lucky.
He had so many people looking out for him and keeping him in line.
"Well, I'm jealous of how in sync you two are. Is this what they call childhood sweethearts?"
Seeing Naruto's expression dim, Gojo Satoru suddenly spoke up, that brilliant smile returning to his face.
He really was such a thoughtful teacher. Bringing like-minded friends together would surely help Naruto forget his troubles and give Sasuke a little more drive too.
Gojo Satoru silently gave himself a thumbs-up.
"No way! We're not!"
Naruto jumped up before anyone else could speak.
"Second Brother, what kind of nightmare are you picturing? Delete it right now."
Sasuke was utterly horrified.
Gojo Satoru's remark had shocked them both senseless, and they rallied in unison to object.
How could anyone come up with such a creepy idea?
Naruto and Sasuke wore matching looks of bewilderment.
Naruto, in particular, felt his rosy image of this older boy as his number-one older friend was about to shatter into dust.
This guy really wasn't reliable!
Did he really have the same parents as those other two?
They were way too different.
Sasuke might be a bit arrogant, but he was pretty similar to the ever-composed Uchiha Itachi beside him.
The two had the same air about them: proud and unapproachable.
But this older guy was completely laid-back.
He looked like he'd taken ten days off work, carefree and doing whatever he pleased.
Standing between those two, he was a chicken among cranes-no, a crane among chickens.
"What are you all standing around here for?" Shisui Uchiha hadn't gone far after leaving the Hokage Building when he came across the four of them standing silently by the road.
"Shisui."
Uchiha Itachi's expression relaxed a little as he greeted him quietly.
"Hey, Itachi."
After greeting Itachi, Shisui turned his gaze to the other three.
Naruto Uzumaki?
He recognized Naruto at first glance.
The boy was practically the spitting image of the Fourth Hokage, Minato Namikaze.
He knew Gojo Satoru beside him too.
After all, the guy was fairly well-known among the younger generation of the Uchiha. How could he not know him?
The remaining boy had to be Uchiha Sasuke, the sweet, adorable little brother Itachi was always talking about.
"Hi, everyone. I'm Shisui, Shisui Uchiha."
Once Shisui finished introducing himself, Itachi introduced the others to him one by one.
Sure enough, his guesses had been exactly right.
"Hello."
All three greeted Shisui properly.
Naruto suddenly turned to ask Gojo Satoru a question.
"Oh, right, do you remember that day?"
"The day we had ramen together."
"What happened with that?"
Gojo Satoru looked over in puzzlement.
Why had Naruto suddenly brought that up?
"The Ramen Competition is starting soon. Let's go together."
Naruto continued.
He remembered that the older boy had been pretty interested in the competition back then too.
"The Ramen Competition?"
"They're holding it early?"
Gojo Satoru narrowed his eyes and asked curiously.
Normally, the schedule for an event like that wouldn't change on a whim.
"I don't really know either. Sounds like something's changing in a couple of days, so they're starting early."
Naruto couldn't explain the details either. All he knew was that the competition would happen sooner, and that was enough to make him happy.
Ramen, ramen.
He could finally eat his fill of the ramen he'd been dreaming about.
Uchiha Itachi did know a little of the inside story. Konoha would be fighting a small battle in the next few days, and that was probably why the original date no longer worked.
"Are you all going?" Sasuke asked hesitantly.
"Of course. Come along, Sasuke." A mischievous smile curled Gojo Satoru's lips.
"Your big brother's coming too," he added, fanning the flames.
My big brother's going too?
"Then I guess I'll go take a look."
Sure enough, Sasuke nodded without another word.
Seeing his reaction, Gojo Satoru broke into a broad smile.
He was already plotting how to really liven things up at this Ramen Competition.
Before you continue